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A former Gloucester Rugby star has been left "devastated" after his wife and friend defrauded him out of more than £1million.

Gareth Cooper, who played for Gloucester from 2007 to 2009, was forced to move back in with his parents who had to spend their pension savings to fund thousands of pounds' worth of legal fees for him.

The scrum-half, a Welsh international and British and Irish Lion, told Cardiff Crown Court: “I was deceived and manipulated by the person I trusted the most – my wife and the mother of my children”, reports Wales Online.

The case of Mr Cooper's then-wife, Debra Leyshon, friend and business partner Simon Thomas and associate Mark Lee was listed for sentence on Tuesday.

The court heard that the 40-year-old had met his then-wife Leyshon in 2001 and married her in 2005. The couple then moved into his house in Pencoed and had three children together.

Mr Cooper played 23 matches for Gloucester, 13 of which were won by the team. He also played in several major competitions including the Heineken Cup.

The scrum-half described it at the time as an "opportunity of a lifetime".

Prosecutors said he used his rugby earnings to buy a property in Pencoed as an investment in 2006, followed by three other properties.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths told the court: "He realised his playing days were numbered."